Charles Bates "Tex" Thornton (July 22, 1913 – November 24, 1981) was an American business executive who was the founder of

Litton Industries Litton Industries was a large defense contractor in the United States named after inventor Charles Litton Sr. During the 1960s, the company began acquiring many unrelated firms and became one of the largest conglomerates in the United States. ...

Early life

Charles Bates Thornton was born on July 22, 1913 in

Goree, Texas Goree is a city in Knox County, Texas, United States. The population was 203 at the 2010 census, down from 321 at the 2000 census. A July 1, 2013 U.S. Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 207. Geography Goree is located at (33.4 ...

Career

He served in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, reaching the rank of Colonel and commanding a staff of officers in the office of statistical control. Following the war he offered the group of ten to several employers as an all-or-nothing proposition to provide the corporation with an analytical management team.

Henry Ford II Henry Ford II (September 4, 1917 – September 29, 1987), sometimes known as "Hank the Deuce", was an American businessman in the automotive industry. He was the oldest son of Edsel Ford I and oldest grandson of Henry Ford I. He was president ...

had recently taken over

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

, which was in bad financial shape and had virtually non-existent financial control systems. He interviewed and hired the team, which became known as the " Whiz Kids". Seven of the ten went on to senior executive positions. Thornton left Ford in 1948 to work for

Hughes Aircraft The Hughes Aircraft Company was a major American aerospace and defense contractor founded on February 14, 1934 by Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting p ...

. In 1953, he founded a company called Electro-Dynamics, then acquired the

vacuum tube A vacuum tube, electron tube, valve (British usage), or tube (North America), is a device that controls electric current flow in a high vacuum between electrodes to which an electric voltage, potential difference has been applied. The type kn ...

manufacturing business of Charles Litton, Sr. in 1953. In 1954, Electro-Dynamics also bought the rights to use the well-known "Litton" name. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions orchestrated by Thornton, Litton became a huge conglomerate with a wide range of products. In 1966, Thornton received the Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet o ...

. He was awarded the

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merito ...

by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

in October, 1981.

Philanthropy

The

USC Thornton School of Music The USC Thornton School of Music is a private music school in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1884 only four years after the University of Southern California, the Thornton School is the oldest continually operating arts institution in Los An ...

at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

is named in honor of Thornton's widow,

Flora L. Thornton Flora Laney Thornton (November 1, 1913 – May 7, 2010) was an American actress and philanthropist. Biography Early life Flora Laney was born on November 1, 1913, in Independence, Kansas. She was the daughter of Charles W. and Effie M. (Smith) L ...

, due in part to a $25 million donation she made in 1999. Thornton was a trustee and donor to the university for many years. The Thornton Center for Engineering Management at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

is also named in honor of Thornton. The Charles B. Thornton Administrative building on the campus of Pepperdine University stands as a tribute to the Thornton family.

Death

He died in November 1981. He was buried at the

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

Tex Thornton page on Littoncorp website

''The Presidency Project''
* 1913 births 1981 deaths American manufacturing businesspeople Burials at Arlington National Cemetery People from Knox County, Texas Texas Tech University alumni United States Army Air Forces officers United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Recipients of the Medal of Freedom 20th-century American businesspeople Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients 20th-century American philanthropists People from Holmby Hills, Los Angeles Military personnel from Texas {{US-business-bio-1910s-stub